TRADCONNECT REVIEW by Tony Lawless

March 21 2015

This debut release by Dublin folk singer Aoife Scottdelivers a very satisfying mix of new material alongside some equally admirable covers. The pressure of being part of the Black family with mother, Frances, and aunt, Mary, having established such strong reputations before her, seems not to have affected her approach.

Confidence in her own material, and some well-orchestrated arrangements lift Carry the Day high above the plethora of traditional folk albums that are released each year. Simply interpreting traditional standards was not an option, and her preference for new material carries the day.

The opening All Along The Wild Atlantic Way may sound like the title of a promotional piece commissioned by Fáilte Ireland, but is in fact a self-penned composition, with song writing partner Enda Reilly having an equal hand in it. With a storyline that would feel right at home in a Cecelia Ahern book, a widow waits for her deceased partner to return and bring her back along that route. It’s a good song, catchy and emotional, and why Fáilte Ireland haven’t grabbed it is a mystery.

In total six of the twelve tracks have been co-written with Enda Reilly, including We Know Where We Stand which deals with this nation’s place in the world and Down By The Shelleybanks, a love song to Dublin. High on imagery and emotion and with restrained arrangements Aoife’s warm and quirky voice works a treat. Her warm and effervescent approach to her music as demonstrated on her recent Late Late Show appearance feeds into the tracks.

The mid-point of the album is anchored by a stark and powerful version of Don Mescall’s, The Growing Years. Aoife has a sharper more clipped delivery style with traces of Mary and Frances at times evident. The cumulative effect however is an album that dares and wins. We are blessed once again with some fine songwriters finding their way onto new album releases and Carry The Daylikewise scores highly in this regard. A strong debut from an artist that may very well have a lot more to say.

The album is now on sale on iTunes as well as on Aoife’s website www.aoifescott.com. You can also read our launch article.